Chapter Summaries

Tang Qi learned how Night Shadow and her family gained Golden Beacon marks that let them safely enter the Golden Country, though Giant Dragons guarded its gates. As the group followed the Dark Lake toward the ruins, they found an enormous footprint and realized a Giant Dragon was nearby.

• Night Shadow explained that the Golden Beacon marked souls as subjects of the ancient empire, allowing them to use its relics and avoid its defenses.
• Night Shadow told Tang Qi how she and her family found the Golden Country using maps taken from surface adventurers and received golden marks beneath the Beacon.
• Night Shadow revealed that Giant Dragons had appeared at the Beacon and later guarded the Golden Country's gates, barring others from entering.
• Tang Qi said he was not afraid of the Giant Dragons and suggested they might even ask him to enter the ruins.
• The scouts found a huge clawed footprint on the Dark Lake's shore, and a Giant Dragon roared nearby.

Tang Qi and the Drow encountered Anduin, the Black Dragon he had defeated before, and persuaded him to let them pass toward the Golden Country. As Anduin followed them, Tang Qi realized his earlier plan to pit him against the Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent might have failed; outside the Southern Great Wall, Dawn had already slain the serpent, and Shivana was heading out to find Tang Qi.

• Tang Qi warned the Drow of Anduin’s acid breath attack, and they scattered to avoid it.
• Night Shadow tried to identify the group as people of the Golden Country, but Anduin rejected the claim and threatened them.
• Tang Qi recognized Anduin from Wind Sand Islet and reminded him that he had cut off and eaten his tail.
• Tang Qi used his Dragon Slayer presence to threaten Anduin, who backed away and let the group pass before following them.
• Tang Qi realized Anduin’s presence meant the Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent might not have reached him as planned.
• Outside the Southern Great Wall, Dawn posed for painters beside the slain Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent, while Shivana led the Rending Roar Tribe out to find Tang Qi.

Tang Qi brought the sleeping Yiwu, whom he identified as Eve Edel, to the Dragon's Nest to find enough nourishment to awaken her. After learning that the Golden Country had once enslaved the Giant Dragons, he entered the nest to seek answers from the Ancestral Dragon, where a vast number of dragons awaited.

• Night Shadow led Tang Qi and the Drow Elves past the ruins of their former homes toward the Dragon's Nest.
• Dulinken let Tang Qi and the Drow enter after Tang Qi revealed that the hatchling he carried was Eve Edel, ruler of the Golden Country.
• Dulinken explained that the Giant Dragons had survived as slaves in the Golden Country and sent Tang Qi to ask the Ancestral Dragon about their complicated relationship with Eve.
• Dulinken barred Anduin from following them, and the two dragons began fighting as Tang Qi and the others continued into the nest.
• Tang Qi and the Drow passed through a tunnel that looked like an old Golden Country prison and saw that the Dragon's Nest held a vast number of Giant Dragons.

Tang Qi negotiated with the Giant Dragons for the resources needed to awaken Eve Edel and warned that the Phlogiston Sea would destroy their world in two years. The dragons’ Ancestor Dragon summoned him, and Tang Qi found an ancient Crystal Dragon near the end of its life, which asked how he had reached that deadline.

• Tang Qi explained that Yiwu was Eve Edel and asked the Giant Dragons for nutrients to help her awaken, but Justin and Restrley refused because the crystals sustained their lair and hatchlings.
• Tang Qi learned the dragons had once traded resources to Eve Edel for their future freedom, and that they hoped to escape through the Gates of Hell rather than help Damon’s plan.
• Tang Qi warned that the Phlogiston Sea would engulf their world in two years, alarming the dragons and prompting him to demand an audience with the Ancestor Dragon.
• The Ancestor Dragon let Tang Qi enter alone and asked his companions to remain in the lair without special treatment.
• Tang Qi crossed the crystal palace and met the dying ancient Crystal Dragon, which praised his purity and asked how he knew the dragons had only two years left.

Tang Qi learned that the Crystal Dragon planned to send the young dragons into the past using the sacrifice of Thom, a Time Dragon. He argued that Thom’s death had broken the repeated cycle and urged the Crystal Dragon to trust him and seek a future beyond the dragons’ escape route.

• Tang Qi questioned the Crystal Dragon about the approaching Phlogiston Sea, and the dragon revealed that Thom, a Time Dragon, had witnessed the world’s repeated destruction and rebirth.
• The Crystal Dragon explained that Thom sacrificed his chance to be reborn so the dragons could travel through time to the beginning of the Forgotten Continent.
• Tang Qi learned that the young dragons needed protection from time’s ravages and that the Crystal Dragon’s plan would save only those children, not their descendants.
• The Crystal Dragon said Thom had witnessed Eve Edel’s repeated failures and admitted he no longer knew whether to believe in her.
• Tang Qi argued that Thom’s sacrifice had broken the cycle and asked the Crystal Dragon to believe in him.

Tang Qi convinced the Ancestor Dragon to trust him by recounting the impossibilities he had overcome and refusing its offer to return to the past. The dragons agreed to help Yiwu recover, and the Ancestor Dragon explained how Eve Edel’s reincarnation led to Amest’s curse on Dragon Gold City.

• Tang Qi told the Ancestor Dragon that his own story and the miracles he had created were the foundation of his confidence.
• The Ancestor Dragon offered to help Tang Qi return to the past, but Tang Qi refused and said he would rather face Doomsday alongside those he cared about.
• The Ancestor Dragon revealed that Stella Starlight had predicted Tang Qi would come and help persuade the dragons to believe in a possible escape from their fate.
• The Ancestor Dragon sent Justin to carry Yiwu to the Life-Giving Hot Spring, while the Bronze Dragon said it trusted Tang Qi and Eve.
• The Ancestor Dragon explained that Frod had secretly delivered his infant sister to the Princess, prompting their mother Amest to curse Dragon Gold City and follow Eve Edel’s remains.

Tang Qi and Shalti decided to travel to the Golden Country to recover Falto’s remains, despite the danger and the cost of having their souls accepted by the Golden Beacon. The Ancient Dragon agreed to find them a companion as they prepared to leave.

• Tang Qi discussed the Princess’s reincarnation with Night Wind and worried that Yiwu might disappear when she awakened.
• Shalti asked Tang Qi to help retrieve Falto’s remains from the Golden Country’s Ruins, and Tang Qi agreed to accompany her.
• The Ancient Dragon warned that souls accepted by the Golden Beacon would wait within it for rebirth in the Golden Country rather than return to another afterlife.
• Tang Qi and Shalti chose to go despite the warning, while the Drow departed and Night Wind was dragged along by Night Shadow and Nightingale.
• The Ancient Dragon agreed to select a companion for Tang Qi and Shalti, promising that Tang Qi would like them.

Tang Qi and Shalti persuaded the rebellious Anduin to carry them toward the Golden Beacon, learning about the dragon lair’s history as they traveled. They reached a view of the Golden Country, where the beacon’s light revealed that the city’s golden radiance came from the souls of its people.

• The Ancestor assigned Anduin to take Tang Qi and Shalti to the Golden Beacon as punishment, and Anduin reluctantly agreed after Tang Qi coaxed him into keeping his word.
• Tang Qi and Shalti climbed onto Anduin’s back, and he flew them through a passage beneath the ruins despite his missing tail.
• Tang Qi noticed the old arcane conduits and learned from Anduin that the city’s people had once used dragons as subjects for magical experiments.
• As they neared the Golden Country, Shalti held Tang Qi securely while he looked toward the Golden Beacon.
• Tang Qi saw the beacon’s light gild the city and realized it was woven from countless souls, whose radiance shone across its buildings and towers.

Tang and Shalti resonated with the Golden Beacon and explored the ruins while following a map toward Falto’s remains. Shalti admitted they were ordinary friends, then asked Tang not to pry into her thoughts, leaving her relieved that he had not discovered her feelings about his kiss.

• Tang and Shalti touched the Golden Beacon and heard traces of the city’s memories, while Anduin refused to protect them as they explored.
• Shalti led Tang through the ruins using Night Shadow’s map, and Tang collected curious objects as she repeatedly sensed someone watching them.
• Shalti confronted Tang about staring at her, and Tang asked why she had been avoiding him.
• Tang and Shalti discussed what kind of friends they were, and Shalti settled on calling them ordinary friends.
• Shalti asked Tang not to pry into her thoughts, and he promised to respect her privacy before she hurried ahead, relieved he had not learned about her feelings over his kiss.

Tang and Shalti crossed the ruins of the Golden Country, with Tang using his mist and climbing abilities to reach an airship terminal and Shalti guiding him through the city. As Tang documented the country’s former life and power, they neared their destination.

• Tang and Shalti found their route blocked by a deep chasm, so Shalti climbed into Tang’s Dimensional Bag while he crossed through the fog to a distant tower.
• Tang pulled Shalti from the bag and carried her to an abandoned airship terminal marked with the Windbreaker Family’s name.
• As they followed Shalti’s hand-drawn map, Tang asked about her past as a wild warlock, and Shalti described her ability to sense and redirect chaotic magic.
• Shalti showed Tang a newspaper reporting defects at Wah-Wah Beastfolk Technology and an investigation urged by Lord Ai, prompting them to discuss the Golden Country’s journalists.
• Tang wrote a guide imagining the Golden Country at its height, including its families, airships, magical advertisements, and news organizations.
• Shalti told Tang they were almost at their destination.

Tang and Shalti found Guard No. 17, a damaged automaton gnome buried in rubble, and restored his head and body. He led them toward the Turing Laboratory, but when Shalti pointed out that his family was gone, No. 17 began a self-destruct sequence, which Tang tried to stop by saying they still needed his protection.

• Tang and Shalti discovered the surviving head of Guard No. 17, a Turing Family defensive construct, and Tang used healing magic to restore his speech.
• No. 17 explained that he lacked reserve materials to repair his torso and directed Tang and Shalti toward the Turing Laboratory using the map stored in his brain.
• Tang followed No. 17’s directions through the Turing Mansion basement and attached his head to a discarded automaton body in the factory.
• No. 17 searched for signs of life in the mansion, failed to find any, and crashed when Shalti asked whom he was meant to protect.
• No. 17 detected Shalti as an Astral Elf and began a self-destruct sequence after declaring his mission failed.
• Tang stopped No. 17 and insisted that they still needed his protection.

Tang, Shalti, and No. 17 explored the Turing ruins, where Tang learned that Shalti’s companion Falto had died in the Beholder testing area. After No. 17 detected a powerful living spell ahead, the group discovered a Living Prismatic Spray that began crawling toward them, and Tang urged them to run.

• Tang persuaded No. 17 to protect him and Shalti while they searched the ruins for survivors associated with the Turing Family.
• No. 17 drilled through blocked passages as the group climbed toward the surface and reached the Performance Testing Area where Shalti had encountered a Beholder.
• Tang learned that Markwen’s leg had been disintegrated and Falto had died in the testing area, but he promised to help Shalti recover Falto.
• No. 17 detected abnormal life and surging magic ahead, so Tang, Shalti, and No. 17 hid in a cavern while Tang used Mercy of Dreams to conceal them.
• The group identified a Living Prismatic Spray, a dangerous living spell that sensed them and crawled toward them, and Tang told them to run.

Tang, Shalti, and No. 17 searched the collapsed ruins for Falto while avoiding the Beholder’s influence. After finding Falto’s armored body, they triggered another cave-in and fell into a lake, where Tang realized Shalti could not swim without her magic.

• Tang suspected a Beholder was affecting their concentration and encouraged Shalti and No. 17 before they continued toward the ruins.
• Shalti used [Item Locator] to find Falto’s remains, and No. 17 proposed drilling up from a lower cavern to retrieve them safely.
• Tang cast [Silence] while No. 17 drilled through the cavern ceiling, and Shalti located Falto’s armor and put his body in the Dimensional Bag.
• The weakened ceiling collapsed as rubble poured down, and Tang carried Shalti across the ceiling to escape the falling stones.
• The ceiling gave way beneath Tang, Shalti, and No. 17, sending them into a lake.
• Tang pulled on his Manta Ray Cloak and realized Shalti could not swim without her magic.

Shalti dreamed through the memories of her arrival, her companions, and the disasters caused by her wild magic before waking after nearly drowning in the lake. Tang asked about Falto’s death, and Shalti admitted that her uncontrolled magic had buried and killed him; Tang then concluded that the Living Prismatic Spray might have been drawn to her as its original caster.

• Shalti dreamed of her arrival in the world, her search for belonging, her companions, and her decision to seal away her chaotic power so she would not hurt anyone else.
• Tang used Healing Word to help Shalti recover after she coughed up lake water, and he explained that he had given her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and dried her clothes with Magic Trick.
• Tang pointed out that Falto’s body was unnaturally well-preserved despite his damaged armor and asked Shalti to explain how he died.
• Shalti said her group had exhausted their supplies and was attacked by the Beholder while retreating, so she used wild magic that surged through the ruins’ magic web and caused the cavern to collapse on Falto.
• Tang asked whether Shalti had created the Living Prismatic Spray, and she said its formation resembled the magic that had emerged from her; Tang said the group had been right to avoid letting it reach its original caster.

Tang Qi and Shalti discovered that Falto’s corpse was covered in living eyes linked to Valenne, then struggled to escape the gaze watching them. As they neared the Ruins’ exit, Tang Qi was dangerously exhausted from days without sleep, and Shalti feared for his health.

• Tang Qi reassured Shalti that he did not blame her for killing Falto and hugged her, then asked whether Falto had revealed anything about his god.
• Tang Qi and Shalti uncovered Falto’s corpse and found living eyes covering his torso, which Tang Qi suspected were connected to Valenne.
• Tang Qi and Shalti left the Sharkfolk’s former dwelling and began returning while the sensation of being watched persisted.
• Arthur told Dawn that Valenne had tasked him with bringing the remains of dead priests to the Holy City, while Dawn felt a mysterious pain as he spoke.
• Tang Qi’s journal described three days of worsening exhaustion, and Shalti carried him while urging him to conserve his strength.
• As Shalti approached the Ruins’ exit with Tang Qi, he realized the watching presence might have followed them all along.

Tang Qi, Shalti, and No. 17 reached the ruins’ exit and were ambushed by the Beholder, now a Death Tyrant. After No. 17 saved Tang Qi from its Disintegration Spell, Shalti dodged its rays, and Tang Qi taunted it into targeting him as a life-draining ray closed in.

• Tang Qi suspected the Beholder was waiting at the exit, restored his strength, and prepared Shalti and No. 17 for the fight.
• The group found bones near the darkened exit, where a floating skeletal Beholder appeared and Tang Qi recognized it as a Death Tyrant.
• The Death Tyrant fired a Disintegration Spell, and No. 17 shoved Tang Qi out of its path while Shalti struck the monster’s eye with arrows.
• The Death Tyrant attacked Shalti with two rays, but she escaped using Misty Step, and it raised the bones into zombies.
• Tang Qi used Verbal Abuse to draw the Death Tyrant’s attention, and it sent zombies after him and fired an Enervation Ray that nearly reached his forehead.

Tang, Shalti, and No. 17 fought the Beholder and its zombies, but Tang was struck by a disintegration ray and then slowed by another spell. Shalti tried to heal him as black mist overwhelmed her magic, leaving his condition uncertain and echoing Black Snake’s fate.

• No. 17 dug a hole to save Tang from the Beholder’s disintegration ray, then used his drill to attack the zombies while Tang’s amber syrup confused them.
• Shalti marked the Beholder and shot its cheek, but its Fear Ray showed her an illusion of Tang dying before Tang’s voice broke its influence.
• Tang escaped another Disintegration Ray with Poet’s Inspiration and struck the Beholder with a Fireball, while Shalti’s arrows and vines helped the blast hit.
• The Beholder slowed Tang and trapped No. 17 against a wall, then struck Tang with a disintegration beam as Shalti rushed to him.
• No. 17 fired his drill at the Beholder and urged Shalti to treat Tang, but her Healing Spell could not overcome the black mist on his chest.

Tang forced Shalti to flee while he and No. 17 held off the Beholder, but Shalti resisted at the golden exit as the Living Prismatic Spray surged after her. The Beholder attacked the creature, which split into smaller sludges and continued advancing.

• Tang told Shalti to escape while he stayed behind to delay the Beholder with No. 17, but she refused to abandon him.
• Tang used Command to force Shalti toward the golden exit, then fought the Beholder alongside No. 17 as it raised more zombies.
• The Living Prismatic Spray arrived and burned through the zombies while No. 17 and Tang escaped its path.
• Shalti tied her own ankle with a Snare spell just short of the exit, and the Beholder fired a disintegration ray at the Living Prismatic Spray.
• The ray split fiery-red sludge from the Living Prismatic Spray, but its smaller parts kept advancing toward Shalti.

Shalti let the Living Spell engulf her so its chaos could break the Fairy Magic seal and restore her Wild Heart, choosing to risk the power she once feared to protect her companions. She regained control of Wild Magic, killed the Death Tyrant, and left Tang and the others alive, though the price of reclaiming her power remained uncertain.

• Shalti recalled how she had asked the World Tree to seal her Wild Magic, and Elder Bell Deer had warned that she might one day need to reclaim it at a price.
• Shalti used Invisibility Spell to evade the Death Tyrant and let the Living Spell swallow her, hoping its chaos would shatter her stable Magic Web.
• Tang recognized the Wild Heart within the Living Spell and used Poet's Inspiration to help Shalti stay focused as she fought to regain control.
• The Death Tyrant attacked Shalti, but Tang's Verbal Abuse drew its attention, and No. 17 shielded Tang from its lethal rays until the automaton was destroyed.
• Shalti unleashed Prismatic Spray and Control Chaos, summoning sixteen Force Missiles that shattered the Death Tyrant's skull and killed it.

Tang woke after four days of unconsciousness and discovered Shalti's magic was surging uncontrollably. He helped her calm it and learned her feelings had grown from seeing him at the lake, leaving Shalti ready to explore her curiosity with him.

• Tang woke in an apartment in Gold City and learned Shalti had used [Levitate] to carry him out of the tunnel.
• Tang fell when he tried to stand, and Shalti explained that her magic surges made her afraid to touch or help him.
• Tang used [Blade of the Mind] to calm Shalti and urged her to face her fear of her wild magic.
• Shalti explained that her positive emotions fueled [Gift of the Feywild] and confessed that seeing Tang by the lake had stirred confusing feelings in her.
• Tang suggested Shalti face her curiosity, and she agreed to undress, asking if he had overcome it himself.